Summary
- Lionsgate’s careful planning with The Hunger Games franchise pays off, while Disney struggles with rushed remakes and sequels.
- The Hunger Games and John Wick maintain quality storytelling and audience engagement, setting them apart.
- John Wick 5 moves forward with Keanu Reeves, after 4 delivers high-octane action and exceeding box office expectations.
Lionsgate is making bold moves with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and John Wick: Chapter 5, pushing forward two of its biggest franchises. Meanwhile, Disney continues its struggles, fumbling yet another major property with recent “live-action” remake Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler. While Lionsgate carefully plans its next hits, Disney seems to be throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks.
Somehow, The Hunger Games and John Wick have maintained a level of consistency that few franchises can match. Every installment delivers on exactly what audiences expect, never losing sight of what made the world or story resonate in the first place. Disney, on the other hand, keeps cranking out uninspired remakes, bloated CGI spectacles, and sequels nobody asked for. The difference in approach between the two studios is becoming clearer with each new release, and Disney is desperately trying to make up lost ground.
Related
Who Would You Fancast as Haymitch for The Hunger Games Prequel?
Suzanne Collins’s second prequel to The Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping, releases on March 18, 2025. Despite it not being out yet, a movie date has already been confirmed for November 2026. Since this prequel focuses on Haymitch’s Hunger Games, the second Quarter Quell, 24 years before the events of the first book/movie, fans have already started speculating who could be playing young Haymitch.
I can’t really imagine anyone other than Woody Harrelson taking on the role of Haymitch, so I’m having a hard time figuring out who would be right for this. Who would you like to see play Haymitch?
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – Another Likely Win for Panem
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes prequel (also starring Zegler) proved that audiences were hungry for more dystopian rebel action, and Lionsgate has now greenlit an adaptation of author Suzane Collin’s next installment: Sunrise on the Reaping. Set 24 years before Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, the new film will explore the 50th Hunger Games—the second Quarter Quell—where Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson in the original series) defied the Capitol and won.
What sets Lionsgate apart is its patience. Unlike other studios that rush to capitalize on the popularity of a franchise with hastily made sequels, Lionsgate took a step back after Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. It didn’t force out unnecessary spin-offs or prequels just to keep the brand alive. Instead, it waited for Suzanne Collins to craft more material, ensuring that any new entry in the franchise would be rooted in the rich, complex storytelling that made The Hunger Games a phenomenon in the first place. When The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released in 2023, audiences had been deprived of Panem for long enough that they were eager to return. The film grossed over $337 million worldwide against a $100 million budget and received good critical reception, evidence that fans were still invested, so long as the story was compelling.
What the studio, producers, and directors seem to understand is that the real strength of The Hunger Games lies in its characters and how they navigate the complex world of violence and politics. The series isn’t just about kids fighting to the death—it’s a critique of power, media manipulation, and rebellion. Had Lionsgate rushed more content out in an attempt to cash in, it would probably have diluted these themes (like we’ve seen in certain Disney franchises), reducing what was once a thought-provoking saga into a forgettable action series. By waiting for Collins to lead the way, the studio has ensured that each new installment still carries weight and significance.
With Sunrise on the Reaping up to bat, excitement is already building. Online discussions are buzzing with speculation about casting, how the second Quarter Quell will unfold, and how the film will expand on Panem’s back story. If history is any indication, the next chapter is shaping up to be yet another win for Lionsgate.
John Wick 5—Keanu Reeves Is Back Again
Even though John Wick: Chapter 4 seemed to close the book on Baba Yaga’s story (actually ending with his gravestone), Lionsgate is moving forward with John Wick 5. For some reason, the John Wick movies always kill at the box office. Fans can’t get enough of Keanu Reeves in a bulletproof suit taking down bad guys with precision headshots and a dog by his side.
The John Wick franchise has mastered the art of delivering exactly what fans want—stylish, high-energy entertainment free of heavy-handed themes or preachy messaging. It’s pure, high-octane action that also doesn’t cut corners in choreo, stunts, or VFX. Each installment feels meticulously crafted rather than a rushed cash grab. Unlike a few recent Marvel films (Thor: Love and Thunder, Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), which have been criticized for sloppy CGI, uninspired fight choreography, and lackluster scripts, John Wick delivers spectacle with care.
Reeves’ dedication to the role is also a huge factor in the franchise’s success. His rigorous stunt training and commitment to realism make every gunfight, hand-to-hand battle, and chase sequence feel authentic. Many fans have pointed out how Reeves and the franchise seem to have taken cues from Tom Cruise and the Mission Impossible formula—and it seems to be working.
John Wick 4 pulled in over $432 million worldwide, so audiences are obviously still invested in the world of assassins and revenge-fueled mayhem. The franchise has consistently topped itself and outperformed expectations at the box office, with John Wick 3 raking in $327 million and Chapter 2 grossing $171 million. Each installment expands on the intricate underworld of the High Table, raises the stakes in terms of action, and keeps what fans love at its core. So John Wick 5 is likely to be another smash hit.
The John Wick spinoff film Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, is also set to release in June 2025, and according to some, its success is less guaranteed.
Snow White and The Disney Dark Ages
Meanwhile, giant industry conglomerate Disney has become a factory of rushed, uninspired “content.” Many feel the umbrella brand has diluted its own legacy by buying up IP and then pumping out lazy remakes and endless sequels. The studio has continuously prioritized quantity over quality, leading to audience fatigue and diminishing box office returns. Fan-favorite franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones have all suffered under the relentless output of mediocrity, leading to a barrage of high-profile flops.
Disney’s live-action Snow White finally hit theaters on March 21—and promptly tripped over its own poison apple. With a sluggish $87.3 million opening against a $250 million budget, the film floundered thanks to backlash over CGI dwarfs, controversies surrounding both Zegler and her co-star Gal Gadot, and baffling script choices that seemed to forget what made the original a classic. Critics panned it, and audiences just stayed home.
Disney’s Other Recent Box Office Woes
Marvel
- Captain America: Brave New World (2025) Disappointment. BNW had a budget of $180 million and an opening of $88.5 million domestic. The film also received lukewarm reviews and saw a significant 68% drop in its second weekend.
- The Marvels (2023) Flop. Despite a production budget of $220 million, the film opened with $46 million domestically and grossed $206 million worldwide. The underperformance has been mainly attributed to franchise fatigue and diminishing audience interest.
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Disappointment. Having a production budget of $200 million, the film barely broke even, with net profits reported at just $88,000. Critics blamed awful CGI, a boring villain, and an underwhelming storyline as reasons for its poor debut.
Live-Action Remakes
- Snow White (2025) Flop. Despite a hefty budget of roughly $250 million, the film made just $87 million worldwide during its opening weekend. Controversies surrounding the movie are believed to have negatively impacted its box office performance.
- Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) Disappointment. With a budget of around $275 million, this prequel opened to a modest $35.4 million and mixed reviews. Maybe not surprising for a prequel nobody asked for, though the movie did go on to earn a respectable $721 Million worldwide gross over a period of weeks.
Star Wars
- The Acolyte (2024) Canceled. The show’s cancellation reflects Disney’s ongoing challenges in developing new Star Wars content.
Pixar
- Elemental (2023) Disappointment. With a budget of $200 million, the film had a modest domestic opening weekend of $29.6 million, marking one of Pixar’s lowest debuts. However, it did experience a bit of a rebound in the following weeks.
- Lightyear (2022) Disappointment. Despite production costs around $200 million, the film opened with $50.6 million domestically and grossed only $226 million worldwide. Not even making back its massive marketing budget. Its underperformance is likely due to audience confusion regarding its relationship to Toy Story and, again, some online controversy.
Indiana Jones
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) Major Flop. Despite a massive budget of approximately $294.7 mil plus marketing costs, the film opened with a sad $60 million domestically. It failed to justify its substantial budget, and became another reported loss for Disney.
Despite these missteps, it’s worth noting that Disney has had some recent wins. Pixar’s Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film, and Deadpool & Wolverine broke R-rated box office records. A few of their franchises, like Star Wars, have also slowed significantly in recent years, and the latest Thunderbolts* trailer took a more edgy, artsy, and A24-esque approach to its promotion. Perhaps Disney is finally listening to fans who crave something fresh and interesting, but time will tell if they are able to take a cue from the Lionsgate playbook and correct course.
